Didier’s trying to sack Rossi’s chance to beat Murray

The state Republican Party thought it had avoided problems faced by its brethren in other states, where Tea Party types took control and nominated candidates outside the mainstream that will have a tough time winning in November.

Washington state has a Top Two primary system; the two candidates who get the most votes move on, regardless of party. This blunts the potential of intra-party squabbles. In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Patty Murray and Republican Dino Rossi made it through to the fall. In Rossi, Republicans think they have their best chance in a long time to unseat Murray.

Didier at a Seattle rally on Monday.

Enter Clint Didier.

On Friday Didier, the Eastern Washington farmer and former tight end for the Washington Redskins, said he wouldn’t endorse fellow Republican Rossi unless Rossi agrees to sign pledges that he won’t raise taxes, will vote against any federal spending increases and personally sponsor a measure that would ban the U.S. Supreme Court from declaring that state abortion restrictions are unconstitutional.

Didier finished third in Tuesday’s primary, with nearly 13 percent of the vote. Rossi got 33.5 percent and Murray just over 46 percent. The math isn’t hard; Rossi needs Didier’s voters to be competitive. The problem is if Rossi, a former state senator from King County, agrees to Didier’s conditions he’ll alienate the independent voters he’ll need to win. The abortion demand alone is enough to sink Rossi in Washington state.

Rossi’s camp knows this, which is why they responded to Didier with this statement: “Dino will continue to campaign on the things he believes, and will not submit to a list of demands made by anyone, in Washington State or Washington, D.C.”

The Tea Party, through Didier, is trying to push Rossi so far to the right as to drive him right into Idaho. The GOP has faced this situation elsewhere. Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, will likely survive in Nevada precisely because the Tea Party helped nominate Republican Sharron Angle. Angle’s right-wing positions – she opposes abortion, even in the case of rape and incest – and general wackiness have given Reid a chance. Nearly any other Republican could’ve beat him.

Didier insists he wants to defeat Murray. “I want to endorse Dino Rossi. I really do. I want to beat Patty Murray in the worst way,” he said during a Friday news conference. But Didier wants to call Rossi’s plays heading into the general election. Rossi is wisely resisting. Didier’s spokeswoman, Kathryn Serkes, colorfully asked PubliCola whether Rossi was rejecting Didier’s voters: “I don’t need your votes? I can win with 33 percent.”

It’s not that Rossi doesn’t want Didier’s voters. It’s that if he does what Didier wants to get them, he can’t beat Murray.